Drooling in the hardware store. Testosterone flowed through my veins. I’m not into power tools. I reached for a tree trimmer with an extension pole.

All afternoon, I found a use for my new tool. That is, until I made a fatal mistake.

Trimming the avocado tree, I got too aggressive. And took down my neighbors phone line, which runs through the warped branches. Sliced into a thick branch, yanked down hard and the wire came with it. I put away my tool, called to inform them of the line, but as if I had nothing to do with it.